Butterfly strings and wings

Just two more songs today.  Belarus looks great, and has the same feel as the preview video.  The group, 3+2 are well dressed, the 2 guys in black suits and the 3 girls in fantastic golden gowns.  A pianist is located stage right. The backdrop is made up of 5 lush draped red curtains, giving the song a very theatrical feel.  It looks very different from any of the previous songs we've heard.

However there are a couple of moments that take away from the classy presentation: there is a camera shot where a couple of paper butterlies are seen 'flying' over the stage action, and towards the end the girls' dresses change, rather unsubtly, to have butterfly wings.  The question is whether these elements enhance the performance, or detract, making it laughable.  We shall see. 

Rock and rap from FYR Macedonia

3 songs to go, and FYR Macedonia takes to the stage with Gjoko Taneski and his rock song.  There are some silver blocks on which 3 female backing dancers start the song.  Gjoko enters and they then start dancing around him. 

Then, about half way through, another chap comes on stage and starts rapping - we're really not sure how this will go down with most of Europe.  And then there's the obligatory guitar solo.

Gjoko can sing, no problem, but we'd be amazed if this qualified.  Aside from a few points from likes of Bosnia and Serbia, we're not sure who will vote for it.

Three in a row for Portugal?

Filipa from Portugal is accompanied on stage by 3 backing singers to her left, and a chap at the piano, stage right.  There are 'curtains' of small balls hanging in the background and the predominant colour is purple.

There's not really that much to say about this song.  Filipa doesn't move very much, concentrating on her (generally good) vocals.  A wind machine is switched on towards the end for a bit of drama.  Pleasant, but after two appearances in the Final, it doesn't look likely that they will make it three in a row.

By Giorgos Greece is qualifying

The Greek song next.  Giorgos is supported by 4 backing dancers, all dressed in white.  It's a well sung, well choreographed entry, and uses drums to good effect, especially towards the end.  The lights go down and the sides of the drums have little lights on them.  OK, we've seen it all before, but it is memorable.

Greece has the luxury of being in the weaker semi-final, and even though it really isn't one of our favourites, you have to hand it to the Greeks - they know how to sell a song.  Athens 2011?  Probably not, but they're giving it their best shot.

It's all about Albania

Juliana from Albania is first on after lunch.  Again the stage is a bluey-purple colour with strings of silver balls behind her and backing lights pulsating throughout the song.

The lead singer is backed by 3 females, and supported by one male violinist.  There are no tricks to the performance, allowing Juliana to show off her vocal prowess.

It's a certain qualifier being the first traditional Eurostomper of the night, but, although we're not fans of songs with too many props and 'business', maybe this entry could have done with a little something 'extra'.

Great Scott! Mills to announce UK votes

According to UK newspaper The Sun BBC Radio 1 DJ, Scott Mills will announce the UK's votes at the Eurovision final on 29 May.

Will Malta take flight?

Time for Thea from Malta.  Again, very simply staged, and similar to the national final performance with the chap in the bird costume.  Thea's dressed in a long flowing silver dress, backed by 3 singers.  She's a safe pair of hands and delivers an effortless performance.

We think this song will qualify, but think it's a shame that the strings on the backing track couldn't have been recorded from real instruments as they sound too obviously created on some sort of synthesiser.

Good but it doesn't ever quite take flight....

Brilliant Belgium

Belgium is one of our favourite songs this year.  Tom is, we think, the first performer to be positioned at the end of the 'catwalk' that stretches away from the mainstage.

The performance and staging is incredibly simple, with Tom and his guitar (of course) standing in the same position throughout the song.  The backdrop is dark with glimpses of reddish lights in the background, and we can't spot any backing singers.

This is Belgium's best song in ages and we're confident it will qualify.

Poland in pole position

It's Monday and the first country to rehearse is Poland.  Marcin is dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket.  Long pieces of greyish fabric have been suspended from the roof, whilst Marcin is accompanied by 5 female dancers, 2 of whom are in ethnic costume. 

It's a solid performance, but lacks any sort of wow factor.  Despite Marcin's obvious vocal abilities (he sounds great) we can't see this making it through to the Grand Final.

Euroclubbing Moldovans like to party

Last night we ventured to the official Euroclub, located at Smuget in the city centre.  A much more intimate venue than last year's Eurodom, the club is made up of a two main rooms, the second of which has a small stage. 

Initially the music was not of the Eurovision variety, but eventually a DJ from OGAE Slovenia started spinning a few classics.  After about 5 songs we were told that it was time for a live band called Hit Parade.  We were a bit concerned we might hear lots of songs we'd never heard before, but Hit Parade actually seems to be a covers band. 

They kicked off with Carola's Invincible and then sang a few other hits from the 80s and 90s. 



Hit Parade's lead female singer invited any Eurovision singers in the crowd to come on stage, and the Moldovan contingent, plus a member of the Belarussian delegation, readily obliged with some nifty dance moves! 

After a few more songs it came time for the Moldovans to present a little concert of their own, which was a lively affair to say the least! 

Other Eurovision singers that we spotted included Marcin from Poland and Feminnem from Croatia.  Just before 1am we called it a night, ready for today's second batch of rehearsals.  Keep your eyes peeled to Eurovision Express for our reports.

The Grand Opening!

After today's hard work at the rehearsals, time to unwind later with a beer (plus five straws) at the opening of the Euroclub!

Pictures to follow tomorrow!

Bosnia brings the first day to a close!

The final country rehearsing today is Bosnia-Herzegovina. Vukašin Brajić, dressed casually in jeans and a black shirt, is another good performer, but the song really isn't our cup of tea.  The staging is simply with lots of bright beaming lights from behind covering the stage. 

Bosnia has done well of late, but we'd be very surprised if this qualified.

Let's go Balkan!

The penultimate song to rehearse to day is from Serbia, so let's all go Balkan!  Professionally staged and well sung, this looks set to be a crowd-pleaser.  Milan is dressed in white trousers with a yellow and blue t shirt, a colour scheme followed by the rest of his troupe.  We suspect these are just rehearsal outfits.

More balls have come down from the roof, echoing the ´Share The Moment' motif.  Thankfully the stage colours have changed and are now a bit warmer, with plenty of red being splashed around.  A qualifier, but not a winner.

Latvia gives us What For!

Next cab off the rank - Latvia and the lovely Aisha. This is not one of the favoured songs this year - to say the least. Aisha starts off standing on a pulsating blue stage. She is joined by four female backing singers who take various routes around her and the stage during the song.

Aisha is finding the low notes a bit tricky and as there are so many in this song. it's not a memorable performance. Can't see Latvia troubling the scoreboard next week.

Finland is fab

Finland wasn't especially high on our list of favourites, but having seen their first rehearsal we're convinced it will make it through to the final.  It has a real feelgood factor to it. 

Against a blue backdrop, everyone is dressed in white, and the female leads start the song near a white luminated 'rock'. It's an unpretentious performance, with some (but not too much) nifty choreography.  What we like about this song is that it's joyous and 'free', totally uncontrived. 

It seems that the Estonian group quite like it too - they were whooping and doing their own little dance as they passed through the auditorium whilst the Finns were performing.  All in all, a lovely original song.

Super Slovakia

After a break for lunch, it's the turn of Slovakia to take to the stage.  In our opinion this is the best song so far.  Kristina is dressed in green, and 4 male backing dancers contribute a tightly choreographer routine.  There's also a backing singer dressed in what looks a bit like a wedding dress.

The stage has a green hue, and lots of lights have descended from the roof, creating a chandelier effect.  Occasionally the camera looks directly down on the action, and the stage floor looks as if it's of infinite depth.  A great camera shot!

Anyway this is surely sailing through to the final.  It's all very evocative of a rain forest, and slightly reminds us of Nox, Hungary's act in 2005. 

A good song, and a great performance.  In our opinion, Slovakia's best Eurovision entry ever.

Estonia's siren sings!

Time for Malcolm Lincoln from Estonia. With four backing singers in velvet jackets gesticulating throughout the song, the male lead (Robin) makes full use of the steady-cam on stage as he moves around the backing singers during his performance.

This individualistic song is not to everyone's taste but there is no denying that Robin is both a good singer and performer. However we think this will struggle to qualify.

Will Russia be lost and forgotten?

Up next is Peter Nalitch and Friends for Russia.  Given the nature of the song it's quite a straightforward, static and simple performance, with Peter up front and the Friends scattered across the stage.

This morning the group are dressed casually with Peter in a warm cardigan: probably a good idea with the rain outside. 

Although not one of our favourites, this entry is certainly well sung, and we're happy to see Russia embracing the use of a windmachine towards the end of the song.  Another nice touch is the use of some fake snow falling down of the guys' heads.

Sunstroke arrives in rainy Oslo!

The Moldovan group - Sunstroke project & Olia Tira - are the first act on stage at rehearsals this morning. There's no sun but lots of rain outside the press centre, but this hasn't dampened our spirits - or the Moldovans. We've got our first glimpse of the stage: it's made up of lots and lots of lights.

So, Moldova begins - a lone violinist in the spotlight starts the song, then flashing green lights make up the backround. There are two dancers on either side of the singers. Yellow t-shirts and jeans are the order of the day for the artists, but we're not expecting this on the night. For the verses, the lights change to blue, then back to flashing green for the chorus. The singers look and sound comfortable on stage. A competent performance and a good opener for the first semi-final.

The Express has landed!

Hello Oslo - we have arrived. It's great to be back in Norway for another Eurovision!

picture courtesy of eurovision.tv

Here is our abode for the next fortnight - the Press Centre. Having secured our little corner of the Euro village, we're off into Oslo city centre tonight to meet up with our fellow Euro-enthusiasts!

We shall begin blogging from the rehearsals tomorrow morning!
Don't forget to also check out some other fantastic blogs and websites who are also in residence here...

http://www.allkindsofeverything.ie/
http://www.escdaily.com/
http://www.esctoday.com/
http://www.oikotimes.com/
http://theeurovisionary.blogspot.com/
http://schlagerblog.blogspot.com/

Cleared for take off.... OSLO here we come!

With no sign of the ash cloud re-appearing, Eurovision Express is on its way to Oslo tomorrow... LIVE blogging and photos of ALL the rehearsals at the Telenor Arena will begin on Sunday morning when Moldova becomes the first country to rehearse on stage.

To see the rehearsal schedule, click HERE

Don't forget you can also join us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/EurovisionExtra , follow us @EurovisionExtra.

Live from Oslo...very soon!

Starting on Sunday, we will be reporting LIVE from Oslo on this year's Eurovision Song Contest. You can find out all the latest news, gossip, predictions etc. right here.

We will be covering the rehearsals for the two semi-finals and the grand final and will give our own verdict on each song when they perform. You can also see pictures of the rehearsals in our reports.

This year, you can also follow us on Twitter - @EurovisionExtra

So join Eurovision Express LIVE from Oslo on Sunday 16th May.

It's For Who?

Just in case the ash cloud stops Niamh getting to Oslo to represent Ireland, there is always a back-up replacement, in the form of one Sheila Fits-Patrick!

Countdown to Oslo - Semi-Final 2

The second semi-final is extremely hard to call. However we think the winner of this year's contest will come from either Semi-Final 2 or one of the finalists. So , at this stage, here are the 10 songs that we think will make it to the final on the 29th. Of course, this is before we see them in rehearsals starting on Sunday.


Semi-Final 2


Armenia - Eva Rivas - Apricot Stone

Denmark - Chanée & N'evergreen - In A Moment Like This

Sweden - Anna Bergendahl - This Is My Life

Azerbaijan - Safura - Drip Drop

Romania -Paula Seling & Ovi - Playing With Fire

Ireland - Niamh Kavanagh - It's For You

Cyprus - Jon Lilygreen & The Islanders - Life Looks Better In Spring

Croatia - Feminnem - Lako Je Sve

Georgia - Sofia Nizharadze - Shine

Turkey - maNga - We Could Be The Same


and those missing out.....


Lithuania - InCulto - East European Funk

Israel - Harel Skaat - Milim

Switzerland - Michael von der Heide - Il Pleut de L'Or

Ukraine - Alyosha - Sweet People

The Netherlands - Sieneke - Ik Ben Verliefd (Sha-la-lie)

Slovenia - Ansambel Žlindra & Kalamari - Narodnozabavni Rock

Bulgaria - Miro - Angel Si Ti

Countdown to Oslo - Semi-Final 1

In a week's time, we will be reporting LIVE from the rehearsals at the Telenor Arena in Oslo. Before that we would like to share our thoughts on what we think will qualify from the semi-finals - before we see them live.

Semi - Final 1

At the moment we see these as the qualifiers.......

Moldova - TRM Sunstroke Project & Olia Tira - Run Away

Slovakia - Kristina Pelakova - Horehronie

Finland - Kuunkuiskaajat - Työlki Ellää

Serbia - Milan Stanković - Ovo Je Balkan

Belgium - Tom Dice - Me And My Guitar

Malta - Thea Garrett -My Dream

Albania - Juliana Pasha - It's All About You

Greece - Giorgos Alkaios & Friends - OPA

Belarus - 3+2 - Butterflies

Iceland - Hera Björk - Je Ne Sais Quoi



and those not qualifying....................

Russia -Peter Nalitch & Friends - Lost And Forgotten

Estonia - Malcolm Lincoln - Siren

Latvia - Aisha - What For?

Bosnia & Herzegovina - Vukašin Brajić - Thunder And Lightning

Poland - Marcin Mroziński - Legenda

Portugal - Filipa Azevedo - Há Dias Assim

F.Y.R. Macedonia - Gjoko Taneski - Jas Ja Imam Silata


Semi-Final 2 tomorrow!